Florida recruiting

[SCKnight]

So now we have only 4 recruits from Florida, but 3 of them I think are top of the class. GOL says they pick their top targets within Florida first and if they don't get interest from them they go out of state.

USF has most of their recruits from Florida and they are of similar ratings. I think this will ultimately be a good test of the validity of the "local recruiting" argument. It will be interesting to see how the talent ends up in the two programs

 

[hemightbejeremy]

Who cares? Holman, Stanback, Wilson, Glenn, Perriman, Niles, Gray, Akins, Tukes, Murray, Troup, etc. all came from out of state. It isn't like Georgia is a dearth of talent. They produce the 4th most number of recruits in the country behind Texas, Florida, and California. People make it seem like GOL is ignoring Florida (he isn't) to recruit Wyoming or something.

 

[SCKnight]

Originally posted by hemightbejeremy:
Who cares? Holman, Stanback, Wilson, Glenn, Perriman, Niles, Gray, Akins, Tukes, Murray, Troup, etc. all came from out of state. It isn't like Georgia is a dearth of talent. They produce the 4th most number of recruits in the country behind Texas, Florida, and California. People make it seem like GOL is ignoring Florida (he isn't) to recruit Wyoming or something.

I agree with you. I did not mean this post to reopen that argument, simply to say that if there was ever to be an experiment to prove or disprove the theory, this class is it

 

[Knight_Light]

Originally posted by SCKnight:
So now we have only 4 recruits from Florida, but 3 of them I think are top of the class. GOL says they pick their top targets within Florida first and if they don't get interest from them they go out of state.

USF has most of their recruits from Florida and they are of similar ratings. I think this will ultimately be a good test of the validity of the "local recruiting" argument. It will be interesting to see how the talent ends up in the two programs

Ultimately?

O'Leary develops players (from a variety of states, including FLA) that help win games...something USF hasn't been able to do in years.

I think its great that we got 5 players from TX and Louisiana...as in many cases, those players face even better HS competition than many FLA HS kids.

As GOL and every Coach has said, especially over the last 2 years, UCF is KNOWN almost everywhere in HS circles (even much more so than USF, who was a member of a BCS Conf for NINE YEARS)...all over the country...and I don't care what zip code a kid comes from...as long as they help UCF win games.



This post was edited on 2/5 10:18 AM by Knight_Light

 

[KnightMatt8]

I listened to Bianchi's show this morning and heard Shannon Owens-Green say that part of the reason UCF signed so many outside of Florida was because of the competition within the state. She is correct that recruiting competition within Florida is fierce, but I think her statement was misleading. UCF has had many recruiting classes where the majority of the players were in-state players, but we weren't winning 9 to 12 games a year back then. The fact that we got so many out-of-state players shows that the UCF name is more well-known in other parts of the country than it used to be. We may not have the national pull that UF and FSU have, but clearly we are in a better position to recruit players from other parts of the country than ever before thanks to our recent success.

 

[Boston.Knight]

GOL is right on with the recruiting strategy. Just like any 'investment', you don't want all your eggs in one basket. Just look at the likes of UCONN and Purdue that over-relied on FLA recruiting. Now those same kids go to UCF and S. Florida, and those programs weren't diversified enough to adjust to the changing landscape.

It's also good for the gene pool to have kids from different parts of the country, instead of all the kids from one spot. Prevents clique's and lack of teaming and gives new insights and experiences to share.

 

[firm_bizzle]

I want all the recruits to come from Orange, Seminole and Osceola.

 

[mattropolis]

You do what you need to do to be successful. You don't worry about what others are doing or saying, unless you can find an advantage in it. How many times have you gone, "Man, we would have won that game had our recruits gone to high school in FL." Bama had 24 recruits this year and 17 were not from the state of Alabama...I think they'll be alright (although I get they are cherry-picking the very top-notch talent from anywhere they can find it).

 

[pittstoner74]

I dont care if we recruit in Central Fl...S Fl or out of state if we get great athletes that want to play as a team....but there is a kid that played at Wellington last year whose teammate ,Ahmonn Richards, is a UM committ right now....but this kid Jean Rene had 992 yds and 17 TD's but doesnt get an offer from anyone???? That seems odd to me. He's only 5'10" but seems like he could of been a good slot receiver and punt returner.

 

[firm_bizzle]

Originally posted by iknight:
Schools from states that do not produce enough quality HS talent must sign out of state kids - they have no other option to try and stay competitive. UConn is always going to have big ups and downs in recruiting because of their proximity to top flight HS talent, the same goes for many other schools. UCF is blessed to be in one of the best areas for HS talent and to be in the center of the state makes it even more convenient for kids in state. I know it is a nit-pick but I would like to see more FL kids. I would point out that many in the top 15 have about half their signees from their home state. I know it is apples to oranges but it is food for thought and a point of reference.

Once we get a coach in here that understands that, this program will know no boundaries.

 

[hemightbejeremy]

Georgia is more "local" to Orlando than south Florida in some cases. Does it really matter that GOL is recruiting talent rich Georgia when it is so close? Blackshear, GA where Tyler Harris comes from is 225 miles from Orlando. Miami is 235 miles from Orlando, yet if Harris was from Miami instead of Blackshear then GOL is "recruiting more local talent". Give me a break.

This post was edited on 2/5 12:14 PM by hemightbejeremy

 

[pittstoner74]

Re: Florida recruiting[/URL]hemightbejeremy posted on 2/5/2015...
Georgia is more "local" to Orlando than south Florida in some cases. Does it really matter that GOL is recruiting talent rich Georgia when it is so close? Blackshear, GA where Tyler Harris comes from is 225 miles from Orlando. Miami is 235 miles from Orlando, yet if Harris was from Miami instead of Blackshear then GOL is "recruiting more local talent". Give me a break.

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Miami is the more southern end of South Florida...S Florida starts in Ft Pierce...which is around 120 miles closer than Miami.

 

[Poolside Knight]

Originally posted by iknight:
Schools from states that do not produce enough quality HS talent must sign out of state kids - they have no other option to try and stay competitive. UConn is always going to have big ups and downs in recruiting because of their proximity to top flight HS talent, the same goes for many other schools. UCF is blessed to be in one of the best areas for HS talent and to be in the center of the state makes it even more convenient for kids in state. I know it is a nit-pick but I would like to see more FL kids. I would point out that many in the top 15 have about half their signees from their home state. I know it is apples to oranges but it is food for thought and a point of reference.

+1

Location is everything in College Football. Use that advantage UCF. There are way too many D1 level prospects in the State of Florida to not use it.

A few weeks ago this class was looking not so great but I give GOL credit on the Fisher hire. I don't know if even GOL realized how good he would be on the recruiting trail in such a short period of time. Causey and Payton might not happen without him and the only swing & miss was Lewis. I'm excited to see what Fisher can do with a full recruiting cycle bc it looks like he got UCF back into South Florida at schools like STA and Miramar.

To SC and others, I don't think most mind the Georgia recruiting but it's the offers to kids with almost no offers in northern states that many just don't understand when you can take a chance on a lower rated recruit from say STA in Broward who everyone knows plays in the most competitive HS region in America. Florida kids are more battle tested, Worton and Speedy Hall are a great example of low rated Dade County guys that still had all the confidence in the World and made a difference for this Program. I'll take majority Florida athletes every time bc they have that edge with QB and Oline being the only positions we should need to recruit nationally out of our footprint.

 

[hemightbejeremy]

The point remains that south Georgia is about the same distance from Orlando as south Florida, but people will consider a recruit from south Florida as recruiting locally and complain when UCF recruits 5 players from Georgia. A player like Causey or Payton are considered local when in Causey's case he is from Ft. Lauderdale which is 200+ miles away and Payton is from Jacksonville which is pretty much on the Georgia/Florida state line.

 

[Poolside Knight]

Originally posted by hemightbejeremy:
The point remains that south Georgia is about the same distance from Orlando as south Florida, but people will consider a recruit from south Florida as recruiting locally and complain when UCF recruits 5 players from Georgia. A player like Causey or Payton are considered local when in Causey's case he is from Ft. Lauderdale which is 200+ miles away and Payton is from Jacksonville which is pretty much on the Georgia/Florida state line.

I don't see many complaints here about the Georgia recruits.

 

[UCF08]

Originally posted by Knight_Light:

Originally posted by SCKnight:
So now we have only 4 recruits from Florida, but 3 of them I think are top of the class. GOL says they pick their top targets within Florida first and if they don't get interest from them they go out of state.

USF has most of their recruits from Florida and they are of similar ratings. I think this will ultimately be a good test of the validity of the "local recruiting" argument. It will be interesting to see how the talent ends up in the two programs

Ultimately?

O'Leary develops players (from a variety of states, including FLA) that help win games...something USF hasn't been able to do in years.

I think its great that we got 5 players from TX and Louisiana...as in many cases, those players face even better HS competition than many FLA HS kids.

As GOL and every Coach has said, especially over the last 2 years, UCF is KNOWN almost everywhere in HS circles (even much more so than USF, who was a member of a BCS Conf for NINE YEARS)...all over the country...and I don't care what zip code a kid comes from...as long as they help UCF win games.



This post was edited on 2/5 10:18 AM by Knight_Light

Sure, in specific circumstances, but don't kid yourself. Florida has by far the best high school players in the nation. The average florida players is 4x as likely to be a Div 1 scholarship player than one from Texas, with the best ratio in the nation. While Texas commonly has more overall recruits taken, they have a far larger population playing the game. But Florida is #2 in total recruits taken and #1 in percentage of players who play division 1 football.

 

[hemightbejeremy]

I have seen people complain about the lack of Florida recruits before. This thread specifically is about local recruiting and having only 4 out of 19 incoming players from Florida. However if you consider that 10 of the 19 incoming players are from Florida or Georgia and Georgia is talent rich and essentially the same distance as south Florida then there isn't much validity to the lack of recruiting locally argument. This is one of the best recruiting classes UCF has ever had perhaps only slightly behind the 2011 class.

 

[Knight_Light]

Originally posted by UCF08:

Florida has by far the best high school players in the nation.

Really? All-the time? Every single year?

Dang...if you are not a $500,000 Colllege Asst Coach/Recruiting Coordinator...your talents are being totally wasted.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

People are complaining about Florida because of how it made the U(Miami) what it is. Four recruits from Florida might sound like a cause for alarm but if in the context of it all UCF grabbed 9 of 17 from Florida and Georgia (sounds pretty local/regional to me) - plus three from Texas.

If you look at it that way - you'll realize its nothing to be concerned.

 

[goodknightfl]

I could care less where he recruits his players from. GOL has an eye for talent, As long as he finds quality people who can play, I am happy.

 

[Colbourns Dream]

UCF was a joke to many kids growing up and recent success won't change that. Georgia and Texas kids only know of the new successful UCF. It will change over time but there is nothing coaches can do to change that perception except to keep winning for an extended period.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

Originally posted by Chevelle67:

UCF was a joke to many kids growing up and recent success won't change that. Georgia and Texas kids only know of the new successful UCF. It will change over time but there is nothing coaches can do to change that perception except to keep winning for an extended period.

Especially against the P5 teams.

 

[RobUCF]

Originally posted by UCF08:

Sure, in specific circumstances, but don't kid yourself. Florida has by far the best high school players in the nation. The average florida players is 4x as likely to be a Div 1 scholarship player than one from Texas, with the best ratio in the nation. While Texas commonly has more overall recruits taken, they have a far larger population playing the game. But Florida is #2 in total recruits taken and #1 in percentage of players who play division 1 football.






I agree that we've got some of the best players here, but aren't you overstating things a little bit?

For one, if Texas has more overall recruits taken, and only a greater population of only about 35% (far from 4x that of FL) - Texas: 25,674,681, Florida 19,057,542. Then how are FL players 4x more likely to be a Div 1 scholarship player? Are you suggesting that there are that many more high school aged kids in Texas or that many more teams? Just asking, but that doesn't sound right.

Also, this is old, but it doesn't suggest that the difference in rate per 100k is anywhere near that. It actually shows that per population Louisiana and Alabama are ahead of Florida with Georgia very close. And since we have 14 of 17 recruits from Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, and Florida, I don't think we're doing so bad.

http://www.footballstudyhall.com/2013/9/11/4718442/college-football-state-texas-california-florida


This post was edited on 2/5 3:10 PM by RobUCF

 

[Marvelouz]

Florida recruiting is a gift and a curse. Go take a look at the top 100 recruits from Florida and where they committed. The schools coming into Florida include "TOP" P5 schools. Then add Florida, FSU, and Miami. Even then, we still grabbed 3 (22,63,74) guys from that list. USF grabbed 5 (65,71,75,78,91).

So I get the FL talent pool argument but really, we cares where they come from?

Personally, I think winning these battles in the state of FL is tougher than winning out of state. For example, a kid in TX may look at Miami and UCF more evenly than a kid in FL would. Or a kid from PA may choose UCF over VT because FL looks more attractive.

Just chill.. stop complaining. This is a nice class.